One Hundred
by LittleKnux2008
Summary: Because one hundred words are just enough... [Collection of my Atlantis drabbles: some gen, various pairings and themes]
1. Drabble 1: Gesture

**Author's Note: **Were I to post every Atlantis drabble I write as a separate story, I'd feel guilty. So, instead, here is my collection of drabbles. They really have absolutely nothing to do with one another, and there will be separate spoiler warnings on every one. Some of you may have read the first few, but there are some that haven't been posted yet coming along, and also ones I have yet to write. : Hope you enjoy.

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**Drabble #1: Gesture  
**Spoilers for: Nada

No one would notice if they weren't looking for it. Such a simple and innocuous thing that it's sheer coincidence I even noticed. Her hand brushes gently against his as she encourages him, nothing but a friendly gesture. But it's the little things that matter: that softening of her eyes as she gazes upon him, the way they meet each other's eyes and the way her hand stays a few seconds too long, that matter. She realizes it a second later, a slip-up in her professionalism, and she retracts her hand. The gesture is simple, but their feelings complex it.

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	2. Drabble 2: Just A Dot

**Author's Note: **Just thought I'd start you off with two. :

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**Drabble #2: (Not) Just A Dot  
**Spoilers for: "The Siege, Part I" and "Part II".

Her heart is in her throat as she watches the tiny blip on the monitor in front of her. It's just a miniscule combination of pixels, but everything depends on it. It's a kamikaze run, and everyone in the control room knows it. But they hope, they _pray_, that the little ball won't disappear all the same, even if it means that their plan to stop the siege has failed. It meshes with the symbol of the Hive Ship. A moment later both disappear.

She won't admit it later, but she feels like a little part of her disappeared, too.

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	3. Drabble 3: Musings Of A Former Blonde

**Author's Note: **For those of you who think this sounds familiar, this drabble was the first version of my one-shot "The Blonde Effect." (which is a lot longer...and better. But that's besides the point!)

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**Drabble #3: Musings Of A Former Blonde  
**Spoilers: Reference to SG-1's "The Lost City"

Rodney McKay loved blonde women.

Elizabeth ran this thought through her mind as she toyed with strands of her own brown hair, which had been recently accented by several red highlights. As she watched Rodney prattle on about ZPM usage, she vaguely wondered if she should've dyed her silky mane a fluorescent blond instead. Maybe then the socially inept scientist would notice her already blatant advances.

With a sigh, Elizabeth forced herself to focus on what Rodney was saying. He would come around eventually. And if not...she just might have to let it slip that she was a former blonde.

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	4. Drabble 4: The Great Houdinis

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**Drabble #4: The Great Houdinis  
**Spoilers: None  
Setting: Around S1

It never ceased to amaze Elizabeth how lucky AR-1 was. She had read the files over and over again. The team had been so close to death so many times, but they were all still here. Maybe they were a little worse for the wear, but they were all healthy and alive. They always seemed to escape in the nick of time; save the world despite all odds. They were the Houdinis of the Pegasus Galaxy…but even Houdini was faced with something he could not beat. She couldn't help but wonder what AR-1's downfall would be. Only time would tell.

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	5. Double Drabble 1: Addict

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**Double Drabble #1: Addict  
**Spoilers: "The Siege", "The Lost Boys"  
Set: During "The Lost Boys"

They were late. Teyla rested her forehead on the cool surface of the table, staring at the captors with white eyes. A blazing fire raged across her skin, coming and going in intensity with the waves of nausea that clenched her stomach. She could feel Rodney's hand rubbing comforting circles her back. They had gone back on his dosage, and guilt _radiated_ from him. Had she been capable of rational thought, she would've tried to reassure him; to remind him that this was not his fault. But all she could think about was her next dose. She ached for the next needle, and it frightened her. She'd never been this dependent on anything before – but she'd never felt as good as she did when she received a new shot. Through the pain, she couldn't help but notice John's absence. Ill-placed anger leeched onto her raspy, staggered breaths. He felt a need to bring Aiden Ford back to Atlantis, she understood that. But it didn't mean he had a right to ask her to go through this pain, and yet he had, abandoning her when the agony had begun. Finally, they approached with a vial.

She wished she could say no.

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	6. Drabble 5: Vigil

**Author's Note:** Just wanted to let you know that a few of my older drabbles, like this one and the first entry, "Gesture", will be lumped in here. They're probably not as good as the others, but I'm okay with that. :p I hope you enjoy regardless. And, as you've probably already noticed, there will be frequent updates to this. (As long as I remember to update it...)

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**Drabble #5: Vigil**

She is always waiting, her hands clasped behind her back, back upright and her eyes ever watchful. This is one of those times; her observant eyes stare at the Stargate, a weathered look claiming her face. And she waits. They're overdue for radioing in; nothing all that unusual, but she holds this silent vigil like she always does. Soon the Stargate will activate and their IDC will come through. But until then, she will continue to wait, just like she always does. She waits now for the team, for their safety, for information… But most importantly, she waits for him…always.

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	7. Drabble 6: Soldier On

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**Drabble #6: Soldier On  
**Spoilers for: "Rising", "Michael"  
Set: Just before "Michael"

Elizabeth had the mind of a negotiator: methods of bargaining were embedded in her mind; she could create treaties in her sleep. The government had believed that this was an advantage that would aid the expedition, but they'd been wrong; horribly wrong. What negotiating could help her now?

Sitting before her was the means to make the scale of power shift from the Wraith to Atlantis. She had the power to save this galaxy from the threat of the Wraith, the only victim her morals, the very foundation of humanity, of negotiations.

The mind of a soldier consumed her.

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	8. Drabble 7: Too Much To Ask

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**Drabble #7: Too Much To Ask  
**Spoilers: "The Siege"  
Set: After "The Siege", before "Runner"

"John… I know you hope we can still find Aiden. I hope so, too. But maybe in the meanwhile, you should start looking for a – "

"What? A_ replacement_?"

"No. God, _no_," Elizabeth ran a hand through her hair. "No one could ever replace him."

"And no one will. His spot on the team will stay open."

"John -" Elizabeth said exasperatedly.

"End of story."

His eyes were cold as they met hers. Abruptly, he stood and left her office. In the silence that followed, Elizabeth sighed softly.

Sometimes John forgot that she loved Aiden like a younger brother, too.

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	9. Drabble 8: Loyalty

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**Drabble #8: Loyalty**

Her shoes click lightly against the floor as she leaves, and he watches her go until she turns out of sight. Watching her go: the action is odd to his personality. He is usually the first to turn away once someone else is done talking, or even when they're still talking. Sometimes it's out of disrespect, sometimes out of no regard for what they're saying. But this is different – _she _is different. It doesn't matter if she's speaking about something he couldn't care less about; he would never turn his back on her… not in any sense of the word.

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	10. Double Drabble 2: Unreachable

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**Double Drabble #2: Unreachable  
**

They're friends. Everyone knows it and they accept it without batting an eye. It's so easy for them to overlook the touches that linger a moment too long, the way they communicate with just their eyes and the way they look at each other when they think that the other isn't paying attention. It isn't so easy for me. I wish it was. I wish I could look at them and brush it aside just like everyone else, but I can't, because when I look at them, it's a painful reminder. A reminder that the one person I want I will never have. I'll never have her because he'll always have her. He has her heart, my whole precious world, in his hands, and he doesn't even realize that it's there. I wish I could say that he didn't care, it would be easier to be able to hate him, but I know that he does. It shows in the way that he's given his heart to her. They're both too blind to see what they're holding, what's growing between them. Sometimes I wish that they'll never figure it out…but mostly I wish that I could be happy for them.

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	11. Drabble 9: Contradiction

**Author's Note: **"Michael" is a special treat for my muses. You'll be seeing even more of it later. :)

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**Drabble #9: Contradiction  
**Spoilers: "Runner", "Michael"  
Set: Pre-"Michael"

Teyla's chair moved back with a loud scraping noise as she stood, her piercing brown eyes moving over the other people seated at the table. Ronon was the only one to meet her eyes. No words had left his mouth, but it was clear he agreed with her.

And yet, the decision was already made. Elizabeth slumped her shoulders, a nearly self-loathing expression claiming her face. "We have to," she finally said.

Teyla did not fight to hide the disgust in her gaze as walked out of the meeting. The door slid shut behind her, and she felt terribly alone.

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	12. Drabble 10: Masquerade

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**Drabble #10: Masquerade**

All three of them wear masks: the three great leaders of Atlantis. The moral, strong woman; the witty military flyboy; the callous, sarcastic scientist. Their masks go on as soon as they awaken, and no one seems to notice the difference between the mask's paint and their own skin. No one questions the roles they play, for those roles are needed here. The masks may bend, fall, and crack during the day, but they never completely leave their faces until the darkest hours of the night, when no one is around to see the imperfect, normal person behind the mask.

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	13. Drabble 11: Dear Diary

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**Drabble #11: Dear Diary  
**Spoilers for: "The Siege", "Runner", "Duet, "Conversion"

Kate had told Rodney to keep a journal. She wasn't too thrilled with the results.

_11/1  
__Found Ford. Shot Ford. Ford jumped into a culling beam.  
__Idiot._

_11/12  
__I have a voice in my head. An extremely ANNOYING one. (Yeah, Cadman, I'm talking to you.)_

_11/14  
__Cadman is beautiful and a real asset to my genius. I kind of wish she could stay in here forever, ya know?_

_11/17  
__Finally got Cadman out of my head. Sheppard is never going to let me live this down._

_11/22  
__Sheppard is turning into a bug. Am going to get him some bug spray for Christmas this year._

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	14. Drabble 12: Michael & Me

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**Drabble #12: Michael & Me  
**Spoilers: "Michael"

She'd thought his evil nature would carry into the transformation; that he'd be hard-pressed to deny his evil core. But she was surprised when Michael Kenmore was discovered to be a sweet, charming man. She'd thought that she would have little to do with him. And again she was wrong. The handsome lieutenant's quirky grins made her heart skip a beat, and she found herself wishing that she could believe the lies they told him.

He said nothing as he held her late one night, a single, lone tear rolling down her face. He didn't know why she cried.

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	15. Double Drabble 3: Anchor

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**Double Drabble #3: Anchor  
Spoilers: **"The Gift"

Things can get tough around here. With constant peril, death and war always around it's easy to see why. Somehow we find the strength to go on, but it gets harder every time. Veterans back on Earth told me that you got used to death and suffering around you, but it's not like that. Each one hits you harder, faster; blindsides you when you're just beginning to stand up. They come swifter now as the Wraith close in on us. Tension and fear are thick in the city. People find their reasons for living and fighting and cling to them desperately now. Sometimes those reasons crumble, and all that's left of them is an empty shell because they have nothing to fight for, to live for. They stay like that until they find something again; and if they don't, they stay that way. I don't want my eyes to look as hollow as theirs, for my life to feel as pointless. But I know as long as he's here, I won't have to worry. He keeps me sane, keeps me focused, keeps me me. I don't know what I'd do without him, and I don't ever want to find out.

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	16. Drabble 13: A Shoulder To Cry On

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**Drabble #13: A Shoulder To Cry On  
**Spoilers: "Intruder"  
Set: After "Intruder"

Rodney McKay was not good with emotions and friendship. So, when Elizabeth finally told him what was wrong, tears shining brightly in her eyes, he really wasn't sure _what _to do. He was still in a little bit of shock – Simon, Mr. Perfect, had gotten himself a new girl? But he wasn't stupid enough not to know he was supposed to do something, so he awkwardly patted her on the back. Elizabeth leaned against his chest, tears running down her face silently. Rodney had never seen her so upset before.

He kind of wanted to feed Simon to a Wraith.

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	17. Drabble 14: If Life Gives You Lemons

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**Drabble #14: If Life Gives You Lemons...  
**Spoilers: None

Rodney groaned as he set his head on his folded arms that were currently resting on the mess table, inches away from his open laptop where "SIMULATION FAILURE" blinked on the monitor in large red letters.

As he sat down and noticed Rodney's demeanor, John said, "You know what they say. If life gives you lemons…"

"If life gave me lemons, my blood pressure would drop, I'd get eczema, and then my throat would close up and I'd die," Rodney muttered, his voice muffled. He lifted his head and glared at John, who just shrugged.

"It was worth a try."

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	18. Drabble 15: There's No Place Like Home

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**Drabble #15: There's No Place Like Home  
**Spoilers: "The Real World"  
_Set: During "The Real World"_

Elizabeth rocked back and forth on the hard mattress, her arms wrapped around her bent legs. She set her chin on her knees and allowed her eyes to move around the bland, white room. Just being in here made her feel insane. Maybe she was. And if that was the truth, she wanted a one-way ticket back to crazytown. Here, she was alone and insane, the Atlantis program didn't exist, Simon was dead… Hell, Rodney and John didn't even know her; if they even _existed._

_There's no place like home,_ she thought wearily,_ if only I could get back there._

_---_


	19. Drabble 16: A Cold Christmas

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**Drabble #16: A Cold Christmas  
**Spoilers: "McKay and Mrs. Miller"  
_Setting: Pre-"Rising"_

They'd been waiting on Rodney for three hours. There had been no phone calls, no nothing. She, Kaleb, Madison, and the rest of the family had just finished opening presents without him. Jeannie looked toward her mother and saw that her gaze was locked firmly on the front door.

_Where the hell are you, Meredith?_ Jeannie thought angrily as she collected the wrapping paper from the ground and threw it away, purposely avoiding looking at his untouched gifts.

Meredith never came. No one mentioned his absence, but they all felt it.

Two Christmases later, they still hadn't heard from him.

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	20. Double Drabble 4: By Your Side

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**Double Drabble #4: By Your Side  
**Spoilers for: "The Defiant One"

"I will be fine, Rodney. Help Major Sheppard," Teyla said steadily, even as another wave of nausea washed over her. She gritted her teeth, trying to distract her mind from it.

"Aiden is with him," Rodney dismissed her order in a slightly panicked voice. He wrung his hands together anxiously, hating that he could do nothing to help her. Softly, he told her, "I…I'm sorry."

"It is not your fault," she replied, holding his gaze as she rested her head against the wall of the cave, small beads of sweat rolling down her face.

"They wouldn't have poisoned you if I hadn't –"

"Rodney," the small note of weakness in her voice made him close his mouth more effectively than any order would. "This is not your burden to bear. Now, _go._"

Rodney hesitated.

"Doctor Beckett can help me when I get to Atlantis. But we must be sure they are not following us before we leave. The sooner we leave, the sooner I will recuperate." She squeezed his hand in reassurance.

"They don't need me. And I'm not leaving you," he held onto her hand tightly, fear in his eyes.

It made her wonder who he'd left behind before.

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	21. Drabble 17: Dearest Sacrifice

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**Drabble #17: Dearest Sacrifice**  
_Spoilers for:_ _"Rising", "Intruder", "The Long Goodbye"  
_Set during _"The Long Goodbye"_

"Kill him," the disembodied voice commands harshly in Teyla's ear.

The minutes fly by like milliseconds as she points her weapon toward her trusted friend. John's disbelieving eyes lock on to hers, and she can't help but tremble. If she doesn't pull the trigger, more than a hundred people will die. But this is _John_; the man that has saved her life so many times, her companion, her Colonel, her people's savior. Logic wraps her finger around the trigger even as her heart screams deafeningly in her mind. She _can't_, she _can't_, she _can't_… But she must.

"Forgive me, John."

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	22. Drabble 18: Fissue

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**Drabble #18: Fissure  
**_Spoilers for: "Trinity"  
_Set post-"Trinity"

"I don't have time for this, McKay," Elizabeth said tersely as she gathered her things, obviously on her way out of the office.

"I know, I know," he wrung his hands nervously. "But please. _Stay._ I have to talk to you." He gazed at her hopefully.

"Shouldn't you be out blowing up solar systems?" The comment ran like deadly poison through his veins. Rodney closed his mouth tightly as Elizabeth shouldered past him, frustration and emotion radiating from her. "Go back to your lab, McKay."

The door slid shut behind her.

"I'm sorry," Rodney whispered hoarsely to the empty room.

---


End file.
